faculty group at a workshopCultivating the spirit of collegiality and collaboration at MSU, mentoring not only enriches faculty teaching and research activities, it also helps faculty strengthen connections across disciplines and boosts faculty morale. 

The Mentorship Program is for all faculty who want to expand their network and build connections across campus.

Early Career mentoring matches new faculty with mentors who have successfully received tenure and demonstrated excellence in teaching, research, and service.

“Taking part in the mentoring program provided me with a friendly face and sounding board outside my college. My mentor provided an opportunity to expand my circle of colleagues and provided feedback on my progress as a new faculty member. My mentor also kept me from taking myself too seriously during the ever-stressful first year on the tenure track.”

– Dr. Sarah Pennington, Assistant Professor, Education

Mentorship encompasses all aspects of what we do at Montana State University from strengthening connections across campus and understanding the freshman experience and the goals of undergraduate students, to guiding graduate students through their academic journey, to enabling the success of faculty in pursuing excellence in scholarship and teaching throughout their career trajectories. As part of this continuum, the CFE Mentoring Coordinators pair tenure and non-tenure track faculty with more experienced faculty outside their own disciplines. The goal of the mentorship program is to expand networks and build community. The CFE Coordinators meet with all mentors for a lunch at the beginning of each semester and also with all mentees for a lunch at the beginning of each semester to introduce the program. Matches meet one-to-one at least two times during fall and spring semesters. Other meetings are at the discretion of the mentors and early career faculty. The CFE hosts several networking events and workshops for mentees and mentors throughout the year. 

Request a mentor now

An invitation to new faculty to participate will be sent after they have registered for new faculty orientation or reach out to Nika Stoop at [email protected]. 

According to research on faculty mentoring, early career faculty or mentees benefit from:

  • Increased productivity, including more publications, more NSF or NIH grants, and an increased likelihood of publishing in a top-tier journal (Blau et al. 2010; Carr et al. 2003)
  • Enhanced tenure and promotion prospects (Johnson 2007; Kosoko-Lasaki et al. 2006; Stanley & Lincoln 2005)
  • Increased sense of support for their research (Carr et al. 2003)
  • Heightened teaching effectiveness (Luna & Cullen 1995)
  • Higher career satisfaction (Carr et al. 2003)
  • Lower feelings of isolation (Carr et al. 2003; Christman 2003; National Academy of Sciences 1997)
  • Greater sense of fit – especially for women and faculty of color – which has been shown to be critical to job satisfaction and retention (Trower 2012)

The Center for Faculty Excellence recruits mentors from within the early career faculty’s department to receive advice and guidance specific to promotion and tenure requirements and from across colleges to gain different perspectives and experiences.  Matches between mentees and mentors are made based on similar teaching, research, and service appointments. 

Mentors can help early career faculty excel in meeting their goals and navigate expectations, requirements, and challenges.  Mentors offer advice and guidance on:

  • Goal Setting
  • Teaching
  • Research
  • Promotion and Tenure Requirements
  • Increasing visibility of accomplishments in teaching, research, and service
  • MSU Culture
  • Work/Life Balance
  • Living in Bozeman

Mentors have even conducted classroom observations to provide feedback and reviewed manuscripts for their matches. 

The matches will be expected to meet one-on-one two times during the fall semester and three times in spring semester, including a goal setting exercise.  Other meetings are at the discretion of the mentors and mentees. Several optional mentor program group meetings are scheduled on a variety of topics throughout the year.